JLL hired Johnny Rocco as Vice President of Project and Development Services. Based in the firm’s Nashville, Tennessee, office, Rocco brings more than 15 years of specialized experience delivering large-scale, mission-critical real estate projects.
Rocco will oversee project management, strategic planning and business development while helping expand JLL’s PDS platform across Tennessee and the broader Southeast.
In this role, Rocco will lead complex construction and development initiatives for public- and private-sector clients, guiding projects from early planning through execution. He joins JLL from BELL, where he served as Senior Project Manager and led the high-profile Nashville Youth Campus for Empowerment, a 270,000-square-foot juvenile justice campus valued at more than $300 million. Over the course of his career, Rocco has translated ambitious visions into successful developments across diverse asset types. His experience includes managing a state-mandated emergency order police precinct project and overseeing Arverne by the Sea, a 3.5 million-square-foot mixed-use community in Rockaway, Queens.
An experienced industry leader, Rocco has delivered complex, high-impact assignments for prominent public and private clients, earning national architectural recognition while cultivating strong partnerships with government officials and key stakeholders. During the global pandemic, he received state and federal recognition for successfully completing a hospital expansion under demanding conditions. He also helped lead a nearly $1 billion multifamily development executed through collaborative joint ventures.
